History and Culture
History of mathematics and cultural connections
Tangente Day at the museum on December 2 | Tangente
Last year, more than 3,000 visitors came to the Musée des Arts et Métiers, which offered free admission all day for the occasion, to attend the activities marking Tangente's 30th anniversary.
Ancient mathematics: an introduction | Tangente
The July issue of Cahiers de Science & Vie highlights the history of mathematics and the various places where it developed.
How virtual images are created
How are realistic video-game landscapes created? How can a character and their clothes be made to move as fluidly as possible? The temporary exhibition "Sous la surface, les maths", designed by the Institut Henri-Poincaré and hosted by the musée des Arts et Métiers, explains everything.
François Morellet: concrete art and geometry | Tangente
The exhibition "L'esprit de suite," on view at the Musée Angladon in Avignon, offers an opportunity to (re)discover the artist François Morellet.
Scams, fraud, hoaxes, deception… and mathematics
Archimedes’ example shows that mathematics was once used to expose fraudsters’ tricks. Is that still often the case today? More often than not, no.
Fast calculation with the Trachtenberg method | Tangente
You may have heard of the "Trachtenberg method" in the recently released film Mary. It is an iterative method for performing impressive mental calculations with large numbers.
The mechanics of calculation
To calculate faster and more accurately, humans created devices as ingenious as they were varied! It can be hard to imagine that, only a few centuries ago, machines were expensive and cumbersome. Sophisticated calculations were therefore the preserve of an elite.
The Bohemian dome
You are certainly familiar with the torus, obtained by rotating a circle about an axis lying in the circle's plane. But what happens if we change the circle's position? We obtain a surface that has long been known and used in architecture...
Rio Congress:
Algebraic geometry featured in the research of three of the four Fields medalists. Although the French took home no awards, they nevertheless played a prominent role. There was one disappointment, however: St Petersburg was chosen over Paris to host the next ICM, in 2022.
The techniques of the prodigious Terence Tao
Terence Tao is one of the greatest mathematicians of our time. He solves formidable mathematical problems himself. Nor does he hesitate to share his working methods on his widely read blog and offer advice that anyone can put to use.
Who will win the 2018 Fields Medal? ICM Rio | Tangente
The International Congress of Mathematicians, where numerous prizes are awarded, including the famous Fields Medals, is held every four years. This summer, it will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from August 1 to 9.
Mickaël Launay wins D'Alembert Prize | Tangente
The awards are pouring in for Le Grand Roman des maths. The D'Alembert Prize, awarded by the French Mathematical Society, recognizes efforts to popularize mathematics.
Robert Langlands finally wins 2018 Abel Prize | Tangente
Like the Fields Medal (restricted to those under 40), the prestigious Abel Prize crowns a career in mathematical research, honoring one outstanding scientist every year since 2003.
Tim Gowers: Polymath, combinatorics, open science | Tangente
Sir William Timothy Gowers was born in England on 20 November 1963. A professor of mathematics at the University of Cambridge (Great Britain), he is one of today's leading mathematicians and has received several prestigious awards, including the Fields Medal in 1998.
The derivative in four stages: Fermat to Cauchy | Tangente
Mathematical concepts emerge gradually: they are often developed in several stages. The derivative is no exception. American historian Judith Victor Grabiner identifies four stages in its development.
Sluse's algorithm: a forerunner of differential calculus | Tangente
Sluse, a 17th-century Belgian mathematician, devised an algorithm for systematically calculating the slope of the tangent to an implicitly defined algebraic curve. His work was a crucial step towards the discoveries of Newton and Leibniz.
Tangente Awards: Mathematical Literature Prizes | Tangente
As usual, summer brings mathematics and literature together—and computer science and games too—for the Tangente Awards. As Tangente readers, we hope you will get involved by taking part in these events, spreading the word and voting...
Pierre Samuel, the first scientifically minded environmentalist | Tangente
Pierre Samuel (1921–2009) was one of the greatest French mathematicians of the 20th century. He became deeply interested in environmental issues.
Antarctica: a still-mysterious continent | Tangente
Unlike in the Arctic, where the area covered by winter sea ice is shrinking, Antarctica's ice-covered area is growing. How can this paradox be explained when temperatures are rising?
Greenhouse gases: the paradoxes of transport
Greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise. Quantifying the share attributable to road transport is no simple matter—and reducing it is harder still!